Back in 2015, when my springer spaniel, Cassie, was tripping frequently, my veterinarian recommended that I have her step over poles to remind her to pick up her paws. Little did I know we were actually doing cavaletti.
Cavaletti was borrowed from horse trainers in order to train dogs to learn to master body positioning.
“These exercises are great for dogs with orthopedic or neurologic conditions, or recovering from various injuries or surgeries, but also for athletes in training or working dogs to keep the body in functional condition,” according to Darryl Millis, DVM, professor of orthopedic surgery and director of the CARES Center for Veterinary Sports Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (AKC Family Dog J/F 2020).
In Cassie’s case, her lack of balance was due to arthritis and possibly the start of a neurologic condition that showed up a year later as a brain tumor. Having her step over the rungs on a ladder placed on the ground helped her balance tremendously. At the time, I ended up using a ladder, but if I had known about cavaletti, I would have tried it (https://sandykubillus.com/the-ladder-command/ ).
Cavaletti is not agility with jumping over poles. The exercises are performed slowly. You may need to put a leash on your dog to reign in some of her energy.
As the video below shows, it can be a great mind-body exercise to do indoors during poor weather or out in your yard. The possibilities are endless. Poles can be placed in different patterns, spacing, and height—all to give your dog variety and to make her learn how to move her body in a more precise motion.
Another bonus is that you can use equipment that you have at home, like broom handles and laundry baskets, or you can purchase a cavaletti kit.
Of course, if your dog is recovering from an injury, you should talk to your veterinarian before trying cavaletti.
If I did not have a blind dog right now, I would try it!
Please comment. Have you tried cavaletti with your dog?
That was really fascinating. I wish I had known about this when Shep was getting on in age. He had some arthritis in his back and this would have come in handy.
I’ve never heard of this, but it sounds like an excellent type of physical therapy for animals who need it.
Cavaletti training is new to me. I have 3 small senior dogs, but I think two of them would benefit from it. The third one has luxating patellas, so I would need to check with the vet first.
That’s an interesting exercise. I can see how
It would be a useful physical therapy or rehab exercise. Probably a good starting point for agility work too.
Oh, how I wish I would have done Cavaletti with our Spike (5 pound Chi) when he first started showing signs of neurological issues. It is reported to do very well for balance issues – and his went fast. Even though most dogs can get around fine without sight, our little Spike did not. Thank you for sharing this important rehab/sport.
Great physical therapy exercise. We used it with Cookie; under supervision of her PT, of course. She let us borrow her set up so we could do it at home too.
I never knew this! What an amazing, and simple idea. It’s wonderful and I bet it transforms the lives of dogs. 🙂 A great winter occupation too (especially if you get a dog who wants to be active all the time!
Yes, I was surprised to read about it in Family Dog. A great exercise.
Interesting post! I might have to try this with my senior pup. Thankfully he’s pretty agile still, but he does have arthritis.
It might help him some and prevent him from tripping.
I have never heard of it so thanks for sharing such a great post. Learned something today.